Believe Him Though You Don't See It

A new year should represent new hope.  We should be able to embrace the phrase, “out with the old, in with the new.”  Unfortunately, it’s not always easy to do.  Perhaps, we prefer the old job or the old relationship or the old administration.  Perhaps the new represents a forced circumstance like a job change that we did not ask for, a failed relationship, or even an unexpected illness.  In this case, it seems impossible to look forward to the new year.  Yet, all things are possible when we turn to our faith in God and Christ Jesus.  This passage from Hebrews 11 is telling us that though we have not yet obtained what we wanted, we don’t have to just give up on it.  If we truly believe that God is for us and that He has a plan for us (Jeremiah 29:11), then we can continue in hope because we know that He works all things together for the good of those who love Him (Romans 8:28).  Perhaps God is performing a metamorphosis in us much like the process of a caterpillar becoming a butterfly.  Though we seem to be trapped in a bad circumstance, we are actually being held  and protected in a cocoon until we are transformed into the butterfly that God wants us to become.  God may be performing a process to get us ready for what we have been hoping for.  In other words, the Lord could be changing us from old to new.  He may be making changes in us so we can handle what He has planned for us.  Like the caterpillar we cannot see any evidence of what is to come. All we have as proof that we should continue in hope is the promises in God’s word and our own recollection of His faithfulness in our past trials and tests. Can we trust that what He has done before, He can do again? That’s faith. We believe what we cannot see right now.  It’s not easy, but the best part of doing this is the reward.  If we hold on to hope when we can’t see a reason, we will find favor with our Lord, just like the ancient men and women in the bible and we will reap a reward.  Hebrews 11:6 says so.  Hold on to hope in the new year.  Stand strong in your faith.  Believe it, though you don’t see it.  Believe Him.